As You Like It - 1

"And therefore look you call me Ganymede." pg. 15

The quote above is an example of dramatic irony. The audience knows that Ganymede is really Rosalind, but the characters in the play do not. Rosalind uses her disguise to manipulate Orlando. She loves Orlando but wants his to be a certain way. This is costume is advantageous when Rosalind is trying to teach Orlando the proper way to act. This is a way for her to discover if Orlando does indeed love her. By hear Orlando's love for her professed to a third party serves as assurance of his feelings. This disguise turns into a problem when Phebe falls in love with Ganymede.